


Chase the Spark

by notspitefulgus



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Broken Bones, But it can also be read as a friendship, Claustrophobia, Danno's No Good Very Bad Day, Danny Whump, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fever, Fever Dreams, Gen, Hallucinations, Hurt Danny, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Suicide mention, This can be read as Danny/Steve if you so choose, Violence, Whump, Whump Exchange, whatever your heart desires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 19:33:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14984066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notspitefulgus/pseuds/notspitefulgus
Summary: A new drug is racking up a body count and Detective Danny Williams is the newest guinea pig.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I have posted in 14 years. I signed up for the whump fic exchange and work my anxiety got the better of me, so here it is over a week and a day late. A thank you to the ever patient whumpershaven, you didn't deserve my laziness, but I hope you enjoy this. What's medical accuracy and hospital procedure anyway? Shoot me a message on tumblr if you so choose: SpitefulGus

The first thing Danny became aware of was the thump of his heartbeat in his ears. Then: pain. Pain in his ribs, pain in his wrist, pain in his head. One side of his face was burning and itching, and there was a thick scent of blood in his nose. Nausea rolled through his stomach as he pried his eyes open, the world tilting in his vision. The room he was in smelled stale and he could see splatters of blood on the floor at his feet. He was tied to a chair at the wrists and ankles, but when he tested the tape, a sharp pain in his right arm brought his memory flooding back. 

How long had he been here? He remembers it was Friday morning, and they were canvassing for a drug dealer. There was a new, extremely potent version of LSD that had been tied to several gruesome suicides. Danny went to talk to a small time dealer while Steve went to the morgue to get the report on the newest body. As it turns out the small time dealer was the big time chemist they had been searching for. Danny’s alarm bells started going off when he showed up to the meet and Ashton Aimes was out in the open, smiling, his cousin at his side. Before he got out of his car he called Steve, letting him know something wasn’t right. 

“Don’t do anything until I get there, Danno. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Steve barked in his ear. 

“Yes, mother.” 

Danny was out of the car before he hung up the phone.  
\------  
“I’m Detective Danny Williams, I was told you had some information on the new drugs that have been showing up in this neighborhood.” 

Aimes was too chipper, too eager to help. He handed over a vial of clear liquid.

“Get about a buck fifty for each vial. Rough stuff. Haven’t had any repeat customers.” 

“Any idea who’s been slinging this stuff?” Danny asked.

“Nah, brah. Some new big shot, landed on the island about a month back. Been flooding the market with all kinds of stuff, but that is definitely the worst.” 

Danny looked down at the vial in his hand, and in that split second, Aimes took a swing, busting Danny’s lip and knocking him back a step. Aimes’ cousin rushed Danny as he stumbled, putting him in a headlock. Danny fought back hard, getting his gun free and struggling with it, two shots firing off into a nearby wall. The wind was knocked from him when Aimes’ cousin, Reagan, tackled him to the ground. 

Aimes brought his boot down on Danny’s right arm twice, knocking his gun from his hand. Danny felt something snap, and the wave of pain ripped a scream from his throat. Pain like liquid fire raced up his arm and spread to his chest when Reagan hauled him to his feet by broken wrist. He couldn’t breathe and his vision started going grey at the edges. He spit a mouthful of blood on the ground and tried to remain standing. 

“We’re sorry, Detective Williams. But you know how it is, we gotta keep you out of the way until my deal goes down.” 

“I’ve heard it all before, Aimes. You’re just another wannabe chemist selling death to tourists.” Danny hissed. 

Reagan picked up Danny’s fallen gun and brought it down on Danny’s temple with a crack. Danny felt his teeth sink into his tongue and his body stopped cooperating all at once and he hit the ground.

‘I’ll never hear the end of this,’ Danny thought, looking up at Aimes and Reagan standing over him. His vision tunneled and everything got further and further away before he sank down into the dark.  
\-----  
Pain woke him again, his right arm throbbing in Reagan’s grip. His head was hanging down against his chest and he was drooling blood from his bitten tongue and busted lip. Wherever they were, it hadn’t seen foot traffic in quite a while. The grass was tall and kept tripping Danny as Reagan and Aimes dragged him forward. Danny feigned unconsciousness until Aimes released his arm. This was his chance. He wrenched his arm from Reagan’s iron grip and elbowed him in the stomach before attempting to break away. Danny’s vision was blurry with blood and he was seeing double, trying to make his feet move. Reagan caught him easily, and he was not merciful. He grabbed Danny by the back of his shirt and slung him to the ground, descending on him with fists and boots. Danny couldn’t breathe. As fast as he could suck down air, Reagan was forcing it out of his lungs. There was a sharp, sudden pain in his side just before Reagan stopped. Danny’s vision went white as Reagan dragged him up by his shirt and all but tossed him into a room.

Danny wrestled with consciousness as Aimes and Reagan duct taped his ankles and wrists to the arms and legs of a chair. The broken bones in his wrist were grinding together under the pressure of the tape and Danny tried not to vomit and keep his bravado. 

“You’ve kidnapped a cop, geniuses, what now? You said you needed me out of the way for your deal, and they’re going to tear this island apart looking for me. I’m sure if you turn me over, they’ll make a deal with you. Shorten your sentence.” 

“Nice try, Detective. You’re a decoy. They’ll be looking for you, and we’ll finish our deal under their noses. A few days from now, we’ll be a few million richer, and far away from here.” 

Danny growled under his breath, “My partner is going to make your life hell, buddy.”  
\-----  
Danny could hear Reagan and Danny arguing in the other room, presumably about what to do with him. His eyes darted around the room looking for anything he could use to escape. There wasn’t a window, no furniture. There was only a single door and a chair. They couldn’t leave him alone, but they needed to meet their buyer. Danny was frantically wiggling his good arm and his legs beneath the tape, trying to loosen his binds when Aimes reentered the room. He had the same vial of clear liquid in his hands. 

“This is gonna be the next best thing,” the chemist laughed. 

Danny could feel the tape on his left leg start to give. Every time he pulled his broken ribs screamed, his arm throbbed. He could see his right hand swelling and he could count his pulse by the flair of pain behind his eyes. 

“News flash, asshole, your cocktail has already killed 3 people. No one is going to want to buy it now.” 

That didn’t deter Aimes, “So there are some kinks to work out, as with any project.” 

Danny kept his voice even, “They went crazy, Aimes. They killed themselves.” 

Aimes paused, Danny continued, “They saw monsters. One threw herself down a ravine, and another cut his wrists so badly he bled to death in an ER, trying to dig out whatever he saw under his skin. Another one died today.” 

Aimes continued, “I call it ‘Spark’. Cool name, right?” 

Danny rolled his eyes. 

“It opens your mind, brah. Makes you see with new eyes.” 

“What part of 'THREE PEOPLE ARE DEAD' don’t you get?” 

“The thing is, detective, you have to be ready for it. With Spark, if you feel like you’re going to have a bad trip, you’ll have a bad trip. You gotta push past your fear. Pull yourself up out of the dark.” 

Danny’s stomach dropped when Aimes took a dropper out of the vial and filled it with the liquid. 

“You’re in luck, detective. This is the latest version, and you’ll be the first to try it.” 

Aimes nodded to Reagan, who jerked Danny’s head back by his hair. Danny grunted, pressing his mouth shut. Strong fingers forced his chin down and the Aimes jammed the medicine dropper between his teeth. There was a cool splash of liquid on his tongue and the back of his throat and he tried to jerk away to spit, but the same fingers that forced his mouth open now held it closed and pinched his nose. He swallowed on reflex. The liquid was nearly tasteless, and only a slight metallic tang told Danny that this was something chemical. 

“It’s got a little LSD, a little amphetamine, some ecstasy, this and that,” Aimes laughed, kissing the vial. “Gotta keep ‘em coming back for more.”  
Aimes stepped forward and patted Danny’s cheek, “We’ll be back a few hours, detective. Remember, you gotta fight to stay out of the dark.”


	2. Chapter 2

Danny didn’t know how long they had been gone. At first he didn’t feel anything aside from pain from his injuries, but then he became acutely aware of his heart beating in his chest. It was separate from him. He could feel the muscle squeezing, and the rush of blood through his veins. Then the pain in his body was suddenly melting away. He pulled at his binds, trying to hang onto the sting of the tape around his wrists and the throb of the open wounds that still bled, but he was dissolving. Reality was slipping away and Danny envisioned himself clinging to the walls of an endless dark cavern, shapes moving in the periphery of his vision. This was the dark that Aimes was talking about. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t fight, the dark was smothering him. There was an inky black sludge surrounding him, alive, worming its way into his mouth and down his throat. His hands were slipping, God please help me, and he screamed, terrified.  
\----------  
Danny could feel living tears burning down his cheeks. He felt hopeless in the dark. 

‘No wonder they killed themselves, no wonder they gave up. No one can fight this.’

His team would find him, they had to. They knew he was missing. But he was smothering, the darkness was a vacuum, stealing the air from his mouth. He was desperate, his head throbbing, his face itched from where his blood had started to dry. His thoughts were of his daughter and his family as he feverishly pulled at his tied wrists. He could feel his skin tearing and hot blood dripping down his arms. He could get his hands free, he just had to push through the pain. He couldn’t stop. He knew that if he let down his guard, the creatures in his periphery would rip out his throat and claw out his eyes. He saw rows of twisted teeth and depthless black eyes that glinted with a light that Danny could only describe as _hungry_. One was getting closer, growling, claws extended towards Danny’s throat. The weight that immobilized his arms and legs was suddenly gone as the creature lunged at him with a scream.  
\------  
Steve was in a panic when he arrived where Danno was supposed to meet the drug dealer, his car was there, but his partner was missing. 

“Chin, check security cameras. Danny was supposed to meet the drug dealer on this corner. Kono, ask everyone. I want to know if anyone saw anything.” Steve rubbed a hand over his face. 

“We’ll find him, boss.” Kono put a comforting hand on Steve’s shoulder before she darted off to start asking questions. 

They spent the next two hours talking to everyone who was in the area at the time Danny went missing. They got lucky on an ATM camera that caught the license plate on the drug dealer’s car. They tracked the car to where Aimes was meeting his buyer. 

“We should tail them, have them lead us back to Danny.” Chin said, pulling his gun from the holster. 

“Right, we don’t want to spook them.” Steve crouched behind Kono. 

They saw Aimes and the associate they caught on the security tape. It was over almost as it started, with Aimes getting shot in the face by the buyer. Aimes’ associate ran as the buyer shot at him, and Kono called in for a medic and backup as Chin called over his shoulder. 

“Follow him, boss. We’ve got this.” 

Steve leapt in his car and drove after Aimes’ second, anxiety causing him to follow almost too closely. 

As soon as the house came into view, Steve was out of the car, gun drawn. There was blood on the ground outside, blood on the front steps. He heard Danny yelling inside. Steve rushed in and saw his partner, bloodied and hunched over a half conscious man on the ground. Danny looked half wild, beating the man on the ground with both fists. 

“Danny, DANNY!” At first Danny didn’t react and Steve saw his face. His pupils swallowed up the blue of his irises and he wasn’t focused on anything Steve could see. He looked terrified.

“Danny, come on back to me, buddy.” Steve holstered his gun and approached his partner.

\----------

Danny could hear something familiar, a voice calling him. He was so tired, his body ached, and he couldn’t shut out the horrifying visions even when he squeezed his eyes shut. He was stuck in this nightmare and he wasn’t sure he’d ever wake up. It was like he was trapped deep underwater. He turned his eyes up towards the voice, and he saw Steve, shining like a beacon on the surface, his face soft and familiar. He felt arms around him and it didn’t hurt, not like the claws and teeth that ripped at him before. 

“Danny, buddy, can you hear me? Can you talk?” 

“Steve…” His voice, was that his voice? grated his ears. 

**“It’s okay, you can stop now. I’ve got you.”**

As if waiting for permission, Danny’s trembling body gave into the strain and exhaustion. He released the demon from his hands and it faded away. His heart was galloping in his chest painfully, tremors shaking him to his core. He collapsed against Steve, fingers clutching at Steve’s shirt. Finally something tangible he could hold.  
\--------  
Steve helped Danny to the floor and pulled out his cell phone, calling for EMTs. He held Danny, speaking in low, reassuring tones to him, 

“I told you to wait for me, Danno. Couldn’t help it, could you?” Steve tried to smile, but he had never seen his partner like this. He was mumbling to himself, eyes still wide and staring at things that were not there.

When they arrived, Danny panicked, “Steve, I can’t- they look like monsters, Steve. Please, don’t- don’t let go of me.” 

“Danno, can you tell me what’s happening? What do you see?” 

Danny kept his eyes averted, clinging to Steve with shame. 

“Drugs, the drugs, they- uh- they had to keep me here, had to keep me quiet. They dosed me. Jesus, Steve it’s like a nightmare. It’s so dark, so dark.” 

Steve could see that Danny was coiled and ready to snap, his fight or flight response cranked up way too high. 

As the EMT struggled to check the uncooperative Danny for injuries, Steve spoke to her, 

“Talk to me, what can we do for him?” 

“We can sedate him and put him in isolation until the drug works out of his system.” 

“Don’t make me sleep, please don’t make me sleep. I can’t breathe if I sleep.” Danny mumbled. 

Steve glanced at his partner, who looked like he was barely holding it together, “I should take him to my place, keep an eye on him there.” 

The paramedic made a face, and Steve continued “Look, I know my partner. The hospital will only stress him out. I’ll call his family and keep an eye on him and make sure he rests.” 

“His wrist is broken, Commander. He’s likely got broken ribs too.” 

Steve couldn’t bear the thought of subjecting Danny to any more stress, so the EMT compromised. 

“Look, I’ll call ahead. You can drive him there yourself. Let the doctor take some x-rays, then you can take him home. If he doesn’t seem to be getting any better over the next few hours, take him back to the hospital immediately.” 

“Thank you, _thank you_ .” Steve was grateful. 

The paramedic continued by rattling off a long list of symptoms to look out for and possible side effects of the drug. Steve coaxed Danny into his car and held onto his unbroken wrist and continued to talk to him all the way to the hospital.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve intercepted an orderly who looked like he was going to pry Danno from his arms. 

“Take it easy, we called ahead, they know what’s going on.” 

A blonde doctor came out from behind a curtain and walked up to Steve.

“Commander McGarrett, I’ve got a portable x-ray in a private room so Detective Williams will be more comfortable.” 

Steve continued to coax Danny to follow him and the doctor to the private room. He sat with Danny on the bed in the room and the detective seemed to relax a little until the doctor came back in the room with the machine. 

“She’s fine, Danno. She’s gonna take an x-ray of your chest and your arm.” 

“Detective Williams, I’m Dr. Joshua, I’m gonna take a few x-rays and we’ll get you on your way. I also want to start IV fluids to get you re-hydrated and help flush the drugs out of your system. And see about that wound on your head and your wrists.” 

Danny saw the IV tubing and the needle and he was on his feet. He cradled his injured wrist and crouched defensively. 

“Easy, buddy, easy.” Steve said. 

“She’s with them, Steve. She’s trying to drug me. Look at her face.” 

Danny saw walls that were closing around him, the fluorescent lights were a swirl of color that burned his eyes and prickled his skin, the young doctor’s eyes were bubbling down her face and her mouth was twisted and crammed full of needle-like teeth. Danny shuddered and Steve interrupted his dark thoughts.

“It’s a nice face, Danno, I promise.” 

Dr. Joshua backed off, “Okay, so no fluids. I’ll wrap up your wrists and bandage your head instead.” 

She turned her gaze to McGarrett, “You need to push fluids for the next 24 hours. He’s probably going to get a fever because the amphetamines will raise his body temperature. We’ve seen a few cases of Spark come through here, so if he starts to have seizures or doesn’t start to come down in the next few hours, bring him back immediately.” 

Dr. Joshua printed out after care instructions and asked Steve to help her keep Danny still while she x-rayed his arm and chest. Danny was pale as a sheet, with blood painted down the side of his face and staining the front of his shirt where he cradled his shredded wrists. 

“It’s okay, Danno. It’s okay, we’re almost done.” 

Steve held Danny’s hand and gently extended his arm beneath the x-ray. Dr. Joshua took the machine out and returned a few minutes later with a tray of medical supplies. 

“You have a distal radius fracture, but it’s in a good position so you can wear a splint. But if your fingers go numb or if the pain gets too bad, you need to go to an orthopedist. You also have fractures in the fifth and sixth ribs on your right side, but there’s not much I can do for that other than pain killers.”

Dr. Joshua snapped on latex gloves and cleaned the wound on Danny’s head while he sat tense and ready to lash out.   
“Make sure he does deep breathing exercises at least a few times a day.” 

“Not our first broken ribs, doc. I know what to do.” Steve promised. 

“I’ll close this head wound with some butterfly bandages, but keep it clean and watch for infection.” 

She winced at the abrasions on Danny’s wrists and cleaned and wrapped them with gauze. Dr. Joshua took her pen light and checked Danny’s pupil reaction, but he recoiled, pupils still blown wide.

“He probably has a mild concussion at the very least, so wake him up every few hours and keep an eye on him.” 

Dr. Joshua sent them home with pain killers and antibiotics and was more than clear that she did not think it was a good idea for Danny to leave the hospital.   
\-------  
By the time Steve got Danny to his house, he seemed a little calmer, shuffling forward on unsteady feet and hugging himself tight. He was sweating heavily and Steve led him into the bathroom by the guest room to get him cleaned up. 

“Okay, Danno. Let’s sit down here so I can clean your hair. I know how prissy you are about it.” Steve smiled to himself.

Danny didn’t seem like he could feel much pain. He was trembling, alternating between squeezing his eyes shut and glancing around the room. Steve was gentle when he helped Danny out of his ruined clothes and started cleaning the blood from his skin. Danny’s chest was purple with bruises, but he didn’t stop Steve from wiping the dried blood from his sides and stomach. He was slipping loose sleep pants up Danny’s legs when Danny started scratching at the bandages on his arms, muttering curses. Steve grabbed Danny’s hands, careful of his broken wrist.

“Danny, buddy, what is it? What’re you doing?” 

“Steve?” 

Danny looked like he saw Steve for the first time. 

“I got you, Danno, don’t worry. Gonna get you cleaned up a little bit, okay, buddy?” 

“You have to hold onto me- hold onto me, Steve. I can’t- I can’t grab the walls, they- there’s this- it’s slick, I’ll fall- Don’t let me fall.” 

Danny was gibbering, still shaking. 

“Remember what I told you about climbing, Danny? You need to find a strong anchor. An anchor to keep you here until this drug is out of your system.” 

“Anchor? W-what? Anchor…”

Steve all but lifted Danny to his feet and dragged him into the bedroom. 

“Gotta rest now, Danno. Doc’s orders.”

“No sleep! No sleep, Steve. I’m afraid if I sleep, I’ll disappear. I’ll stop breathing.” 

“Don’t worry, Danno, I’ll stay with you the whole time. I’ll wake you up, I promise.” 

Danny closed his eyes fell back onto the pillows with a soft thump, too exhausted to put up much of a fight. Steve sat on the bed next to Danny and brushed his knuckles against Danny’s cheek. 

“You’re burning up, Danno.” 

Steve talked to his half conscious partner, pressing his palm flat against Danny’s forehead. The detective’s skin burned.

“Okay, buddy, I’ll be right back. Gonna get some ice packs.” 

Danny cracked open his eyes, trying not to focus on the breathing walls. He clung to Steve’s voice and let his partner reassure him. 

“I’m not going away- I’m not.” 

“No, we’re not going anywhere, Danny. I just need to get your medicine and something for your fever.” 

Steve returned with Danny’s medicine, water, and cold packs. 

“Okay, buddy, I need you to take your medicine.”

“No more drugs, Steven. No.” 

“Danno, you’ve got a fever and two broken ribs and a broken wrist. It’ll help you sleep. I’ll be right here.” Steve helped Danny sit up as gently as he could. 

“Sit up, Danno, come on, open up.” 

Tears splashed down Danny's cheeks as Steve placed the pills on his tongue. 

"It's good medicine, I promise, Danny." 

Steve held a bottle of water to Danny's lips and encouraged him to swallow. 

“Drink a bit more, Danno, that’s it.” 

Danny took a few messy swallows and collapsed against Steve’s side and took Steve’s hand again. Steve frowned at Danny’s pulse fluttering rapidly beneath his skin. Steve tucked the cold packs beneath Danny’s arms and placed a cool compress on his forehead before he lay down beside his partner. 

“You’re lucky, Danno. They wanted you to stay at the hospital.” 

“No- no more drugs. No more quiet.” 

“What did they do to you, Danno?” 

“Steven, please don’t stop talking to me.” 

Steve laughed a little sadly, “What, no shut up this time, Danno?” 

“Anchor, you’re my anchor.” 

Steve’s stomach flipped and he laced his fingers with Danny’s.

“That’s right, Danny. I’m your anchor. Now sleep. I’ll be with you when you wake up.”  
\----------  
Danny slept for 14 hours with Steve by his side, and when he finally woke up, Steve waved two bottles of water in his face.

“How do you feel, buddy?” 

Danny took one of the bottles winced when he tried to open it with his broken wrist. Steve twisted the top off the bottle and Danny drank down half of it. 

“Like I got hit by a damn bus.” 

“Let’s get you bathed, you’ll feel better.” 

Danny let out a groan when he sit up and he waved Steve away when he tried to help him to his feet. Steve gathered his medical supplies and waited anxiously outside the bathroom door. 

“Danny, sure you don’t need any help?” 

“No.” Came a muffled reply from behind the bathroom door. 

There was the sound of running water and several hisses and groans.

“Kono called, the buyer killed Aimes because the drug killed his sister. She was the one that died in the ravine.”

Danny was silent and Steve tapped on the bathroom door.

“Danno, say something or I’m kicking down the door.”

“Did you get it all? All the Spark?” Danny said quietly.

“We think so, Danny. It can’t hurt anyone else.” 

Danny left the bathroom in a pair of clean pajama pants and a towel draped over his head. The bruises splashed up his side looked even worse in the daylight.

“Good.” He still sounded tired to Steve. 

“Sit and I’ll change your bandages.” 

Steve prodded Danny to drink the rest of the water while he cut the soiled bandages from Danny’s arms. The ligature marks were raw and swollen and Steve winced in sympathy as he carefully wiped the wounds with antiseptic and coated them in antibiotic ointment. 

“I killed him, Steve.” 

Steve froze. Danny looked down critically at his busted, swollen knuckles. 

“No, you didn’t. He was alive when we found you, they took him to the hospital.” 

Steve wrapped fresh gauze around Danny’s wrists.

“He looked like a monster, Steve. A demon. I wanted to kill him. I was so scared.” 

Danny’s voice cracked and Steve moved beside him and looped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“You were drugged, you had no control over what happened. But you survived. I’m proud of you.” 

Danny dropped his head against Steve’s shoulder and huffed.

“All I’m saying is you should have waited for me.” Steve’s smile blinded Danny and he elbowed Steve halfheartedly. 

“Thank you for the ‘I told you so’, Steven.”

“I’m just glad you’re here to hear it, Danno.”


End file.
